Road Trip Day 15 - Last Day at Disney's Magic Kingdom

I arrived at the Disney Transportation and Ticket Center parking lot at about 8:45am. It seemed that the rain had caused some type of problem with the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom and there was a huge queue. A cast member told me that it would be faster to take the ferry.

I went through the security check at Magic Kingdom. I have not mentioned it before, but they search all backpacks and bags ~for things which threaten safety~ at the entrance to all of the Disney parks.

The first thing that I did when I got to Main Street was find a vendor selling Disney rain ponchos. I had decided that these $8 ponchos looked effective, stylish, and allowed more air circulation than the raincoat that I had been using. By about an hour later it was definitely providing more ventilation because a one foot rip had originated at the neck. I had to hold it together with my hand to keep the rain out. Fortunately, later in the day I was able to exchange it for a new poncho.

Some of the highlights (and mostly not very high):

• The Jungle Cruise - My guide was very funny!
• Thunder Mountain Railroad - It seemed better when I was younger.
• Splash Mountain - At least I did not need to worry about getting wet (I all ready was from the rain).
• Buzz Lightyear's Ranger Spin - Each rider controls their own Laser Cannon. Actually this attraction is probably aimed at young kids.
• Tomorrowland Speedway - It started raining very heavily and I got drenched.

I hid from the rain for about an hour in a seasonal restaurant, The Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station, which was closed. While I was there, I talked to a Disney photographer who seemed to be a bit of an amateur meteorologist and said that it was very uncommon for it to rain all day long like it had been doing. He said it normally rains hard for an hour or two then gets nice.

I bought a magnet on Main Street because I knew that my spirit had been broken, and I would probably be blowing off my last couple of days at The Most Magical Place on Earth.

When I returned to my hotel room, the door was ajar. Maybe this was because it was the only day that I forgot to leave a tip for housekeeping, or maybe it was related to plumbing work that day (there was an announcement about the water being off for several hours). Nothing was missing from the room, but I was wet, hungry, and fed-up with rain and crowds.

RT Day 14 - Disney Animal Kingdom & Epcot

Had breakfast at the Golden Corral Buffet on the way to Disney from the hotel. Golden Corral has a good selection of food and a pretty big crowd who all seemed to want to wolf down as much food as quickly as possible before they go to the theme parks.

I have decided to drive rather than take the hotel shuttle bus to Disney World Animal Kingdom Park. I am surprised at the military precision of the people directing traffic in the parking lot. I saw somebody park in an incorrect spot and there was no way that the transgression would be tolerated. Parking is $12 a day, but you can leave and return or go to any other Disney parking lot.

It was raining as I ran to the parking lot shuttle tram. Went into Animal Kingdom, got a FastPass with a time about 1.5 hours later for the Kilimanjaro Safaris, and then walked through the drizzle on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. About halfway along the trail, it began raining cats and dogs. It was mayhem. People on electric scooters were running into pedestrians. Children were screaming, and anyplace with cover became packed with uncomfortable sweaty crowds and parents trying to grab children crawling around on other people's feet.

Expedition Everest had some type of malfunction and the safety team was rescuing riders from one of the steep areas. Expedition Everest seemed like it was closed for a couple of hours, but there was no problem when I road it later. It is Monday and I can't believe how crowded it is - I spoke with a cast member, and they assured me it really was not crowded at all.

Went on the Wildlife Express Train, saw one poor pathetic elephant over 100 yards away behind an ugly building with an ugly purple metal fence (I think that the bad weather is affecting my mood). By about 4 o'clock I am ready to leave and am not even willing to stand in a long line to have my photo taken with Goofy or Pluto.

I drove to the Epcot parking lot. It started to rain again (after a very brief break). Went to Spaceship Earth, then walked around the World Showcase (spending more time at some countries and none at others). The Epcot Fireworks at 9pm were spectacular!

Back to the hotel about 10 pm.

Road Trip Day 13 - Disney Hollywood Studios & Downtown Disney

Slept in and had lunch at the Golden China Restaurant buffet almost next door to my hotel. The food was decent, but they did not have Chinese Tea! What Chinese restaurant does not have Chinese Tea? That is like a Chinese restaurant that does not have chopsticks (don't get me started, I have been there, too).

About 1pm, drove to Downtown Disney. Downtown Disney is a shopping, restaurant, and entertainment area which is sort of fun (it is also sort of, or very, crowded on Sunday afternoon). It is on the shores of a lake which is probably man-made (sorry, I have been in Florida a little more than a day and I am starting to question if anything is real). I walked around, window shopped, people watched, and was disappointed that Characters in Flight (a hot air balloon ride) was shut down because of wind. Drove back to the hotel and used the Wi-Fi until about 5pm.

Took the hotel shuttle to the Disney Transportation Center, then the Disney Bus to Disney Hollywood Studios. It is Sunday, and the intermittent rain has only slightly reduced the crowd. Taking advantage of Fast Pass, I was able to get into Tower of Terror, and then because of rain induced confusion, the line was short to Aerosmith's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Both of these rides are fun, but very short! I went on the Studio Backlot Tour (because the waiting area was out of the rain). They made apologies that they could not do some of the demonstrations because of wind and rain. I sat in a puddle in the tram during part of the tour.

By the time that the Studio Backlot Tour ended, the rain had stopped, and people were running towards the daredevil action demonstration "Lights, Motors, Action". I followed the crowd happy that I would be able to see this show. Unfortunately, after about 45 minutes waiting in the stands, they announced that the show was canceled "Due to Inclement Weather". The weather was no worse than it had been 45 minutes earlier (and actually probably better). It was surprising that there was very little swearing or property damage after the announcement.

A number of the rides and exhibits were closed, and I was happy that I had four more days to cover everything. I went to catch the hotel shuttle a little before 8pm. While the waiting areas for the Disney owned buses have covered waiting areas, the hotel buses are out in the open. I got drenched and mad waiting for the bus. I also came to the conclusion that the free shuttle to Disney was false economy. It is better to pay $12 for parking and have more flexibility and less waiting. I will make a more detailed posting on this at some point.

Road Trip Day 12 - First Day at Disney World

Got up before 8am and talked with the very friendly hotel manager during breakfast. Checked out about 9:15 and began driving south towards Lake Buena Vista (and Disney). The tolls on the Turnpike were a shock ($2.50, $1.25, $1). I am okay with paying bridge tolls, but this road did not seem so special.

Arriving in Kissimme about 1pm (after a stop for gas), I found the Best Western Lakeside (7769 West Irlo Bronson Highway). It is not new or fancy, but it is located fairly close to Disney and has a free shuttle. There is a big pool, some food options, and a little store. It was only $52.69 (Best Western Website special AAA Rate), the rooms have a refrigerator, microwave, and safe. Also, the WiFi reception is good. Quite a few families from the United Kingdom seem to stay here. It is ranked about #14 of 215 hotels in Kissimmee by Tripadvisor.com, which is pretty good (I'm almost a little surprised).

The desk clerk, Mary, was understanding about letting me look at the actual room before I decided to register (sometimes I am a bit funny about Feng Shui issues, when I am staying more than one night). I had to spend some time on the phone with the fraud detection unit of my credit card company since I had spent money in so many places without calling in a travel notification (I normally do this if I travel internationally, but did not think about it on a driving trip).

I went shopping for snacks and organized things in the room. At 5pm, I took the hotel's shuttle to the Disney World Transportation and Ticket Center. I had looked at ticket prices previously and realized that the first and second days were really expensive, the third reasonable, and after that they were cheap. I decided to buy a six day park-hopper pass (about $293 including tax). I figured that as long as I was here, I might as well get my fill of Disney World - I could have bought a shorter ticket and extended it, but did not want to hassle with lines at the ticket booth (and days 5 and 6 only cost $3 each).

It was Saturday, and quite busy, so I decided to only familiarize myself with the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. This way I would know where things were when I attacked them in earnest during the week. I did opportunistically go on a few rides (but the waits for many of the popular ones were really long). I went to the fireworks in Magic Kingdom at 10pm. The fireworks were spectacular, but it was very crowded and I needed to leave before they ended, to make sure that I made it back to the transportation hub by 10:50pm to catch the shuttle back to the hotel.

Note: If you are going to go to Disney World for the first time, you should probably do some type of advance preparation so you know the popular attractions, and tips and tricks. Theme Park Insider seems to be one very good source of this type of information.

Road Trip Day 11 - A Muffuletta and a Long Drive

Walked to the Central Grocery about 9 am. Central Grocery is the acknowledged birthplace of the Muffuletta. It was quite good, and the staff at Central Grocery are friendly. I also bought some Cajun spices. Muffulettas are available in at least a half dozen New Orleans establishments.

I wanted to get some beignets for the road, but there was a huge queue (at least 75 people) at the to go window at Café du Monde.

I checked out of Harrah's. I had a great stay! I start driving east towards Disney World in Florida with no particular destination in mind. I stopped at the Alabama Welcome Center and pick up some hotel coupon books, and at the Florida Welcome Center for information and a free cup of Florida Orange Juice. I end up driving to Lake City, about 100 miles east of Tallahassee. I stay at the Rodeway Inn for $40 plus tax (using a walk-in coupon).

Not a terribly exciting day, except for my Muffuletta sandwich, but at least I made it to Florida. By the way, the crowd photo (above) at Café du Monde is a joke (the crowd was not really as bad as the photo).